Alum Films Get Spotlight at Cannes, Tribeca

Several Emerson alums are behind the camera or front and center in films premiering or screening at major film festivals this spring, including Cannes and Tribeca.

This month, The History of Sound will screen In Competition at Festival de Cannes (May 13-24). Starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor as two early 20^th-century musicians with an intense connection, the film was co-produced by Gina York ’20.

Emerson Trustee Kevin Bright ’76 was executive producer of It’s Dorothy! premiering in the Spotlight Documentary program at Tribeca Film Festival, which runs from June 4-15 in New York. Two more alums, Ross Girard ’09 and Mark McCune ’12 were executive producers of Andy Kaufman Is Me, screening in the same category at Tribeca.

It’s Dorothy! is an essay film about Dorothy Gale, the heroine of L. Frank Baum’s classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and her influence on American culture, from her first portrayer, Judy Garland, and countless others through the decades.

Andy Kaufman Is Me opens a window into the mind of the late comedic genius, using a cache of never-before-heard audio recordings made by Kaufman at the height of his career, along with interviews of family and friends.

Jessica Miller ’06 was an editor on Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print, a documentary that examines the feminist magazine’s legacy and impact on women’s lives using the device of three of the publication’s most iconic covers. JD Marlow ’08 was an editor and co-producer of My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay, which “powerfully navigates emotional recollections and buried family truths” about Hargitay’s mother, Hollywood bombshell Jayne Mansfield.

Also in Spotlight Documentary is Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, a portrait of the influential Deaf actor, which features interviews with Henry Winkler ’67; and Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything, line produced by Travis Eilerson, about the pioneering television journalist.

Over in the Spotlight Narrative program, David Cross is featured in Oh, Hi!, a dark comedy about modern dating, and Philip Ettinger can be seen in After This Death, a romance/thriller/mystery about obsession and longing.